Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.6 AVERAGE
3.6 AVERAGE
A long and sometimes overly detailed analysis of the art of "the Con", and more importantly, why human beings are "hard-wired" to fall for them.
Unfortunately, as human beings are intrinsically susceptible to cons due to our very nature. We like to hear stories, and we tend to believe them, particularly those that are told in a compelling way. It is in our nature to want to believe that things will improve, that eventually things will "balance out".
The book is full of examples of cons and of psychological studies that confirm our susceptibility. The book introduces the key steps in a con, including the Grifter, the Mark, the Put-up, the Play, the Rope, the Tale, the Convincer, the Breakdown, the Send and Touch, and - finally - the Blow Off and the Fix.
The book was highly educational but I found it to be tedious - too many examples were provided and the points could have been made more succinctly.
I was left feeling at risk of succumbing to a con in the near future...
Unfortunately, as human beings are intrinsically susceptible to cons due to our very nature. We like to hear stories, and we tend to believe them, particularly those that are told in a compelling way. It is in our nature to want to believe that things will improve, that eventually things will "balance out".
The book is full of examples of cons and of psychological studies that confirm our susceptibility. The book introduces the key steps in a con, including the Grifter, the Mark, the Put-up, the Play, the Rope, the Tale, the Convincer, the Breakdown, the Send and Touch, and - finally - the Blow Off and the Fix.
The book was highly educational but I found it to be tedious - too many examples were provided and the points could have been made more succinctly.
I was left feeling at risk of succumbing to a con in the near future...
challenging
informative
sad
fast-paced
Trump was a con man, the billionaire oligarchy is conning America into voting against its own interests. This book details how the con works, why it works (very hard to dissuade people from believing what they WANT to believe) and what to do about it. The culture wars right now are geared toward generating emotional reactions from the conservative base, inciting fear, no wonder mass shootings are on the rise, and all in the interest of political gain. It's sick and wrong, check out the website of a guy that called it FIVE YEARS AGO! https://www.longconpod.com/the-10-10
Oh the book does a deepdive on the art of the con, with a plethora of examples, it is critical america wakes up to the CON.
Oh the book does a deepdive on the art of the con, with a plethora of examples, it is critical america wakes up to the CON.
I don’t think I have ever been conned. Lied to? Sure. Deceived? Absolutely. Been hurt by an abuse of my trust? Without a doubt. But Maria Konnikova’s The Confidence Game isn’t a book about your everyday thief or hustler; it’s an investigation into the “minds, motives, and methods” of true con artists. Although she discusses frauds as petty as shell games and the three card monte, Konnikova’s true focus is on something bigger, something deeper: why even the smartest fall prey to what may seem, to an outside observer, like obvious tricks...
To read my full review, check out my blog post blog post.
To read my full review, check out my blog post blog post.
I did not always see a clear connection between the real world examples and the focus of each chapter, but overall really fun and very readable as nonfiction goes. It was an entertaining and informative book
A scary read - we are so susceptible to confidence tricksters! Well written but I had to put it down several times because it freaked me out so much.
A book report on all things Con Artists, the people who do the cons, the people who fall for it. The tactics, strategies and weaknesses con artists use to get people to give away money and possessions because they were fooled by a non-violent liar and thief.
I really wanted to like this book. I've always been fascinated by this subject. Everyone is vulnerable to scammers and con artists, even educated people and hard-core skeptical folk. Me and you can be fooled, it's not as hard as you think it is.
The problem with this book is that I couldn't not find a unifying thread or message other than "con artists" I don't know, maybe it's just me, but I read the author's other book Mastermind and really, really liked it. That book was organized as a journey to understanding how people get really good at something. This book was not like that. This book felt more like a loose collection of anecdotes about con artist. It's very informative and entertaining but it's not the author's best work.
I really wanted to like this book. I've always been fascinated by this subject. Everyone is vulnerable to scammers and con artists, even educated people and hard-core skeptical folk. Me and you can be fooled, it's not as hard as you think it is.
The problem with this book is that I couldn't not find a unifying thread or message other than "con artists" I don't know, maybe it's just me, but I read the author's other book Mastermind and really, really liked it. That book was organized as a journey to understanding how people get really good at something. This book was not like that. This book felt more like a loose collection of anecdotes about con artist. It's very informative and entertaining but it's not the author's best work.
Very interesting stories about confidence scams. I agree with some other reviewers that the number of obviously apocryphal stories, as well as the fact that general conclusions are drawn from really specific stories, is problematic. And overall I think the book could have been shorter, or better organized, or both. But overall it was interesting and entertaining, and it made me think critically about my own susceptibilities.
informative